This distinctive primary source reader, designed to supplement world history survey texts, has a conceptual framework that emphasizes comparative analysis by presenting foreigners' accounts of a given society alongside accounts from citizens of the same society.

These descriptions shed light on the values and beliefs of both the society being described, and those of the writer. In the words of the editors, "What observers expect to see determines what they find."

The reader is organized chronologically and regionally within each time period. Pedagogical features include introductions, questions, notes, and suggested readings.

The four editors all teach world civilizations courses and have varying specialties. Schlesinger specializes in early modern Europe; Blackwell in South Asia; Meyer in ancient history; and Watrous-Schlesinger in Latin American history.

Author Bio

Schlesinger, Roger : Washington State University

Blackwell, Frederick W. : Washington State University

Meyer,Kathryn E. : Washington State University

Watrous-Schlesinger, Mary A. : Washington State University

VOLUME I

I. The Foundations of Civilization to 500 BCE

1. Creation Myths and Flood Stories

Two Sources for Egyptian Creation: Coffin Text Spell and Shabaka Stone Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI: The Babylonian Flood Story Genesis, Hebrew Creation and the Flood Hindu Hymn of Origins Ovid's Metamorphoses, A Roman Version of the Flood Story Five Fragments of Chinese Cosmology Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Ancient Quiché Maya The Huarochirí Manuscript (flood story) Three Creation Stories from Africa: from the Bambara, Wapangwa, and Fang Australian Aboriginal Myth: Yhi Brings Life to the World Cherokee Nation: How the World Was Made

2. Heroes and Heroines

Birth and Boyhood of Sargon I Judges 4-5: The Story of Deborah Krishna, the Hesitant Hero Homer's Odyssey: Penelope and Odysseus Livy's History of Rome: Romulus and Remus Boudicca's Revolt Chinese Hero Story Popol Vuh: The Hero Twins Bring Corn to the People Eleio: A Hawaiian Runner Cheats Death and Pleases the King

3. Earliest Journeys

Epic of Gilgamesh: Journey to Dilmun and the Search for Everlasting Life Genesis, Chapters 12-13: The Journeys of Abraham An Egyptian in Eastern Palestine: The Tale of Sinuhe Jason and the Voyage of the Argo The Journey of the Emperor Mu (China) Hung and Mi Journey to the Dragon Emperor's Palace (Vietnam) Kyazimba's Journey to the Sun (Africa) Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians

II. Classical Civilizations, 500 BCE-800 CE

4. Greco-Roman and European World

Pericles' Funeral Oration Cornelius Nepos on the Education and Character of Epanimondas Juvenal on Greeks in Rome Polybius on Rome Melinno's Hymn to Rome Julius Caesar on Britain Tacitus, the Germania Priscus and a Syrian, Debate on Rome Ammianus Marcellinus, On the Huns Chiu-t'ang-Shu, China and the Roman Orient

5. The Ancient Middle East

Inscription from Moab (the Moabite Stone) Description of Moab from the Old Testament Inscription of Shalmaneser II Description of Nineveh from the Old Testament Herodotus on Persia Xenophon on Cyrus the Great Hou-Han-Shu of Fan Yeh on Parthia and Tatsin Chang Ch'ien, a Han Ambassador to Bactria Egeria (Iberian nun) on Christian customs in Jerusalem

Megasthenes in Pataliputra (the Mauryan capital of India) Notes from a Greco-Egyptian Manual of Navigation (Periplus Maris Erythraei) Travels of Fa-hien (a Buddhist Pilgrim in India) The Tale of Savitri (from the Mahabharata) Sakuntala's Departure (from Kalidasa's "The Recognition of Sakuntala") The Perfect Bride (from Dandin's Adventures of Ten Princes)

9. East and Southeast Asia

Japan in Chinese Dynastic Histories An Account of an Early Embassy from China to a Kingdom in Southeast Asia The Mission of Sung-yun and Hwei-sang to Obtain Buddhist Books in the West Selections from "The Manyoshu" (The Collection of Myriad Leaves) "Social Relations" by Wang Fu Accounts About Two Women: A Mother and a Wife, by Liu Hsiang and Feng Yen

III. Expanding Civilizations, 800 to 1500

10. Europe

The Markets of Seville Memoirs of a Castilian Noblewoman Usamah Ibn-Munqidh Describes the Character of the Franks Ibn Fadlan's Account of Vikings in Early Russia Journal of Friar William of Rubruck to Russia The Conversion of Catherine of Louvain Medieval Student Life Boccaccio on the Black Death Anna Comnena on the Franks Christine de Pisan on the Condition of Women

Indian Poet's Observations: "The Paradise" and "The Cultural Experience" by Khusrau Alberuni's India Ibn Battuta in Delhi Ibn Battuta in Bengal Arab Writers in Zabag (SE Asia) The Wonders of the East, by Friar Jordanus A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499

13. East and Southeast Asia

The Record of a Pilgrimage to China from a Japanese Monk's Diary (Ennin) The Travels of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo's Embassy to the Court of Timour Two Chinese Descriptions of Malacca Chinese Expeditions to the West (Cheng Ho) "The Problems of Women," by Yuan Tsai From The Diary of Lady Murasaki Lady Sarashina, Selection from As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams

14. The Americas

Vikings in America: Selections from the Vinland Saga Fray Bernardino de Sahagún and the Florentine Codex Amerigo Vespucci's Letter from a New World Cortés' Letter to Emperor Charles V on Mexico Fray Diego de Landa's Description of the Ucatan Girolamo Benzoni's Description of the New World André Thevet's Description of Florida Natives Hans Staden on the Tupinamba (Brazil) Jacques Cartier on the Natives of Stadacona (Canada) Antonio Pigafetta on South American Natives (from Magellan's voyage)

VOLUME II

I. 1500-1800

1. East and Southeast Asia

Francois Caron in Japan Fray Sebastien Manrique in India Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Letter to the Viceroy of the Indies Merchants in the Ming by Chan Han John Bell on China

Leo Africanus describes the Kingdom of Mali Bernadino's Journey on the East African Coast Olaudah Equiano on the Slave Trade J. Crassons de Medeuil on the French Slave Trade Anthony Knivet in Kongo and Angola John dos Santos on Ethiopia Francis Vas d'Almada with Castaways on the South East African Coast Barbot on Guinea, West Africa Andre Alvares de Almada on the Gambia

4. The Americas and Oceania

Sir Walter Raleigh describes the North Shore of South America Father Cristoval de Acuna's Expedition Down the Amazon Fray Martin de Munilla describes the Natives of the New Hebrides Thomas Gage in Guatemala Fray Diego Duran's History of the Aztecs Burgomaster Witsen Travels to New Guinea

Marianne North in Sarawak Nellie Bly: 120 Hours in Japan "The Movement Against Footbinding" Lafcadio Hearn's "First Day in the Orient" Isabella Bird Bishop in Canton George Macartney on Chinese Life Mary Fraser, a Diplomat's Wife in Japan Shimazaki Toson: A Father's Death and Funeral

7. South and Southwest Asia

John Lloyd Stephens on Jerusalem Rabbi David d'Beth Hillel on Indian Jews Fanny Parks on India Emma Roberts in Delhi Helen Douglas Mackenzie in Delhi Mark Twain on the Towers of Silence in Bombay Rabindranath Tagore on Shazadpur, Bengal Nirad Chaudhuri on Calcutta

8. Africa

Mohandas K. Gandhi, Attorney to South Africa John Duncan Among the Whydah and Dahomey in 1845 P. Dallons on Zanzibar Robert Ashe, Missionary to Uganda in 1892 Paul B. Du Chaillu in Africa during 1863 Charles Andersson Explores South Western Africa David Livingstone from Cape of Good Hope to the Zambezi River Mollien in Gambia and Senegal Rivers Mungo Park on Niger River Agnes McAllister in Africa

9. The Americas and Oceania

Harriet Martineau Discusses Society in America Inoue Ryokichi, "A Japanese Student's Views of the United States" Pavel N. Golovin, A Russian Naval Officer in San Francisco John Kenneth Turner Comments on Mexico During the Revolution of 1910 Frank G. Carpenter Offers Advice to U.S. Businessmen in South America Edward B. Tylor Stops in Cuba on His Way to Mexico John L. Stephens Describes Mayan Society in the 19th Century J. J. von Tschudi on the People of Peru James Bryce about U.S. Corporations in South America Paul Gauguin Comments on Society in the Marquesas Islands Mark Twain in the Sandwich Islands Meriwether Lewis Recounts Exchanges with Native Americans at the Continental Divide

10. Europe

Fray Servando Teresa de Mier: A Mexican Friar Describes the Palais Royal in Paris Seishisai and Rai San'yo: Two Japanese Views of the Dutch, English, and Russians Liu His-hung: A Chinese Ambassador Describes the British Upper Classes Jack London: An American Novelist Describes London's East End Harry de Windt: An English Correspondent Describes the Balkans Sir Edwin Pears: An Englishman Describes a Turkish Wedding Theodore Dreiser: An American Author Describes German Trains Emile Zola on the Industrial Poor in France

III. 1918-the Present

11. East and Southeast Asia

Margery Finn Brown, "An American Looks at Japan" Nikos Kazantzakis on the Chinese and Death Nikos Kazantzakis on Japanese Gardens Jan Myrdal on Wedding Customs in a Chinese Village Cleo Odzer in Thailand Nie Zeng Jiffen on China Emmanuel John Hevi as "An African Student in China" Nguyen Long on Communist Vietnam Anchee Min, A Little Girl During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Joan Robinson, A British Economist in China Dr. Miyamoto's Visits to Japan

Pico Iyer, Global Traveler in Ethiopia Elizabeth Marshall Thomas on the Kalahari George Orwell on Marrakech Peter Biddlecombe Describes a Train Ride in Cameroon Margery Perham on Nigeria Andre Gide on the Congo Julian Huxley on a Kikuyu Market Dervla Murphy on Women in Cameroon Robert D. Kaplan on Sierra Leone Naboth Mokgatle on South Africa Flora Nwapa, Efuru

14. The Americas and Oceania

Seth K. Humphrey on Tonga John Clytus, an American Black in Cuba Phillips Russell Describes Mayan Peoples Charles H. Baker on South American Cuisine Nathum Goldmann on Jewish Life in the United States Jin K. Kim, a Korean in the United States Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, a Thai Educator in the United States Buwei Yang Chao Observes Life in the United States Clemente Orozco, a Mexican Muralist Portrays Life in New York City

15. Europe

William C. White on Housing and Women's Lives in Moscow Zara Witkin Describes a Soviet Collective Farm Haruko Ichikawa Describes a Spanish Bullfight Philip Gibbs on the Nazi Movement in Germany Alexander Werth, Selection from Russia at War Morris Deutch on German Women During WWII John F. Kennedy on Conditions in Germany in the Summer of 1945 Nirad C. Chaudhuri on the United Kingdom Guido Piovene on Sexual Freedom in Sweden B.N. Misra on Liverpool Hans Magnus Enzensberger on Warsaw in 1986

This distinctive primary source reader, designed to supplement world history survey texts, has a conceptual framework that emphasizes comparative analysis by presenting foreigners' accounts of a given society alongside accounts from citizens of the same society.

These descriptions shed light on the values and beliefs of both the society being described, and those of the writer. In the words of the editors, "What observers expect to see determines what they find."

The reader is organized chronologically and regionally within each time period. Pedagogical features include introductions, questions, notes, and suggested readings.

The four editors all teach world civilizations courses and have varying specialties. Schlesinger specializes in early modern Europe; Blackwell in South Asia; Meyer in ancient history; and Watrous-Schlesinger in Latin American history.

Author Bio

Schlesinger, Roger : Washington State University

Blackwell, Frederick W. : Washington State University

Meyer,Kathryn E. : Washington State University

Watrous-Schlesinger, Mary A. : Washington State University

Table of Contents

VOLUME I

I. The Foundations of Civilization to 500 BCE

1. Creation Myths and Flood Stories

Two Sources for Egyptian Creation: Coffin Text Spell and Shabaka Stone Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI: The Babylonian Flood Story Genesis, Hebrew Creation and the Flood Hindu Hymn of Origins Ovid's Metamorphoses, A Roman Version of the Flood Story Five Fragments of Chinese Cosmology Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Ancient Quiché Maya The Huarochirí Manuscript (flood story) Three Creation Stories from Africa: from the Bambara, Wapangwa, and Fang Australian Aboriginal Myth: Yhi Brings Life to the World Cherokee Nation: How the World Was Made

2. Heroes and Heroines

Birth and Boyhood of Sargon I Judges 4-5: The Story of Deborah Krishna, the Hesitant Hero Homer's Odyssey: Penelope and Odysseus Livy's History of Rome: Romulus and Remus Boudicca's Revolt Chinese Hero Story Popol Vuh: The Hero Twins Bring Corn to the People Eleio: A Hawaiian Runner Cheats Death and Pleases the King

3. Earliest Journeys

Epic of Gilgamesh: Journey to Dilmun and the Search for Everlasting Life Genesis, Chapters 12-13: The Journeys of Abraham An Egyptian in Eastern Palestine: The Tale of Sinuhe Jason and the Voyage of the Argo The Journey of the Emperor Mu (China) Hung and Mi Journey to the Dragon Emperor's Palace (Vietnam) Kyazimba's Journey to the Sun (Africa) Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians

II. Classical Civilizations, 500 BCE-800 CE

4. Greco-Roman and European World

Pericles' Funeral Oration Cornelius Nepos on the Education and Character of Epanimondas Juvenal on Greeks in Rome Polybius on Rome Melinno's Hymn to Rome Julius Caesar on Britain Tacitus, the Germania Priscus and a Syrian, Debate on Rome Ammianus Marcellinus, On the Huns Chiu-t'ang-Shu, China and the Roman Orient

5. The Ancient Middle East

Inscription from Moab (the Moabite Stone) Description of Moab from the Old Testament Inscription of Shalmaneser II Description of Nineveh from the Old Testament Herodotus on Persia Xenophon on Cyrus the Great Hou-Han-Shu of Fan Yeh on Parthia and Tatsin Chang Ch'ien, a Han Ambassador to Bactria Egeria (Iberian nun) on Christian customs in Jerusalem

Megasthenes in Pataliputra (the Mauryan capital of India) Notes from a Greco-Egyptian Manual of Navigation (Periplus Maris Erythraei) Travels of Fa-hien (a Buddhist Pilgrim in India) The Tale of Savitri (from the Mahabharata) Sakuntala's Departure (from Kalidasa's "The Recognition of Sakuntala") The Perfect Bride (from Dandin's Adventures of Ten Princes)

9. East and Southeast Asia

Japan in Chinese Dynastic Histories An Account of an Early Embassy from China to a Kingdom in Southeast Asia The Mission of Sung-yun and Hwei-sang to Obtain Buddhist Books in the West Selections from "The Manyoshu" (The Collection of Myriad Leaves) "Social Relations" by Wang Fu Accounts About Two Women: A Mother and a Wife, by Liu Hsiang and Feng Yen

III. Expanding Civilizations, 800 to 1500

10. Europe

The Markets of Seville Memoirs of a Castilian Noblewoman Usamah Ibn-Munqidh Describes the Character of the Franks Ibn Fadlan's Account of Vikings in Early Russia Journal of Friar William of Rubruck to Russia The Conversion of Catherine of Louvain Medieval Student Life Boccaccio on the Black Death Anna Comnena on the Franks Christine de Pisan on the Condition of Women

Indian Poet's Observations: "The Paradise" and "The Cultural Experience" by Khusrau Alberuni's India Ibn Battuta in Delhi Ibn Battuta in Bengal Arab Writers in Zabag (SE Asia) The Wonders of the East, by Friar Jordanus A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499

13. East and Southeast Asia

The Record of a Pilgrimage to China from a Japanese Monk's Diary (Ennin) The Travels of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo's Embassy to the Court of Timour Two Chinese Descriptions of Malacca Chinese Expeditions to the West (Cheng Ho) "The Problems of Women," by Yuan Tsai From The Diary of Lady Murasaki Lady Sarashina, Selection from As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams

14. The Americas

Vikings in America: Selections from the Vinland Saga Fray Bernardino de Sahagún and the Florentine Codex Amerigo Vespucci's Letter from a New World Cortés' Letter to Emperor Charles V on Mexico Fray Diego de Landa's Description of the Ucatan Girolamo Benzoni's Description of the New World André Thevet's Description of Florida Natives Hans Staden on the Tupinamba (Brazil) Jacques Cartier on the Natives of Stadacona (Canada) Antonio Pigafetta on South American Natives (from Magellan's voyage)

VOLUME II

I. 1500-1800

1. East and Southeast Asia

Francois Caron in Japan Fray Sebastien Manrique in India Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Letter to the Viceroy of the Indies Merchants in the Ming by Chan Han John Bell on China

Leo Africanus describes the Kingdom of Mali Bernadino's Journey on the East African Coast Olaudah Equiano on the Slave Trade J. Crassons de Medeuil on the French Slave Trade Anthony Knivet in Kongo and Angola John dos Santos on Ethiopia Francis Vas d'Almada with Castaways on the South East African Coast Barbot on Guinea, West Africa Andre Alvares de Almada on the Gambia

4. The Americas and Oceania

Sir Walter Raleigh describes the North Shore of South America Father Cristoval de Acuna's Expedition Down the Amazon Fray Martin de Munilla describes the Natives of the New Hebrides Thomas Gage in Guatemala Fray Diego Duran's History of the Aztecs Burgomaster Witsen Travels to New Guinea

Marianne North in Sarawak Nellie Bly: 120 Hours in Japan "The Movement Against Footbinding" Lafcadio Hearn's "First Day in the Orient" Isabella Bird Bishop in Canton George Macartney on Chinese Life Mary Fraser, a Diplomat's Wife in Japan Shimazaki Toson: A Father's Death and Funeral

7. South and Southwest Asia

John Lloyd Stephens on Jerusalem Rabbi David d'Beth Hillel on Indian Jews Fanny Parks on India Emma Roberts in Delhi Helen Douglas Mackenzie in Delhi Mark Twain on the Towers of Silence in Bombay Rabindranath Tagore on Shazadpur, Bengal Nirad Chaudhuri on Calcutta

8. Africa

Mohandas K. Gandhi, Attorney to South Africa John Duncan Among the Whydah and Dahomey in 1845 P. Dallons on Zanzibar Robert Ashe, Missionary to Uganda in 1892 Paul B. Du Chaillu in Africa during 1863 Charles Andersson Explores South Western Africa David Livingstone from Cape of Good Hope to the Zambezi River Mollien in Gambia and Senegal Rivers Mungo Park on Niger River Agnes McAllister in Africa

9. The Americas and Oceania

Harriet Martineau Discusses Society in America Inoue Ryokichi, "A Japanese Student's Views of the United States" Pavel N. Golovin, A Russian Naval Officer in San Francisco John Kenneth Turner Comments on Mexico During the Revolution of 1910 Frank G. Carpenter Offers Advice to U.S. Businessmen in South America Edward B. Tylor Stops in Cuba on His Way to Mexico John L. Stephens Describes Mayan Society in the 19th Century J. J. von Tschudi on the People of Peru James Bryce about U.S. Corporations in South America Paul Gauguin Comments on Society in the Marquesas Islands Mark Twain in the Sandwich Islands Meriwether Lewis Recounts Exchanges with Native Americans at the Continental Divide

10. Europe

Fray Servando Teresa de Mier: A Mexican Friar Describes the Palais Royal in Paris Seishisai and Rai San'yo: Two Japanese Views of the Dutch, English, and Russians Liu His-hung: A Chinese Ambassador Describes the British Upper Classes Jack London: An American Novelist Describes London's East End Harry de Windt: An English Correspondent Describes the Balkans Sir Edwin Pears: An Englishman Describes a Turkish Wedding Theodore Dreiser: An American Author Describes German Trains Emile Zola on the Industrial Poor in France

III. 1918-the Present

11. East and Southeast Asia

Margery Finn Brown, "An American Looks at Japan" Nikos Kazantzakis on the Chinese and Death Nikos Kazantzakis on Japanese Gardens Jan Myrdal on Wedding Customs in a Chinese Village Cleo Odzer in Thailand Nie Zeng Jiffen on China Emmanuel John Hevi as "An African Student in China" Nguyen Long on Communist Vietnam Anchee Min, A Little Girl During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Joan Robinson, A British Economist in China Dr. Miyamoto's Visits to Japan

Pico Iyer, Global Traveler in Ethiopia Elizabeth Marshall Thomas on the Kalahari George Orwell on Marrakech Peter Biddlecombe Describes a Train Ride in Cameroon Margery Perham on Nigeria Andre Gide on the Congo Julian Huxley on a Kikuyu Market Dervla Murphy on Women in Cameroon Robert D. Kaplan on Sierra Leone Naboth Mokgatle on South Africa Flora Nwapa, Efuru

14. The Americas and Oceania

Seth K. Humphrey on Tonga John Clytus, an American Black in Cuba Phillips Russell Describes Mayan Peoples Charles H. Baker on South American Cuisine Nathum Goldmann on Jewish Life in the United States Jin K. Kim, a Korean in the United States Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, a Thai Educator in the United States Buwei Yang Chao Observes Life in the United States Clemente Orozco, a Mexican Muralist Portrays Life in New York City

15. Europe

William C. White on Housing and Women's Lives in Moscow Zara Witkin Describes a Soviet Collective Farm Haruko Ichikawa Describes a Spanish Bullfight Philip Gibbs on the Nazi Movement in Germany Alexander Werth, Selection from Russia at War Morris Deutch on German Women During WWII John F. Kennedy on Conditions in Germany in the Summer of 1945 Nirad C. Chaudhuri on the United Kingdom Guido Piovene on Sexual Freedom in Sweden B.N. Misra on Liverpool Hans Magnus Enzensberger on Warsaw in 1986